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BUNHILL 2 ENERGY CENTRE LONDON
Described as 'revolutionary', Bunhill 2 Energy Centre is the worlds first scheme using waste heat from the London Underground to warm homes, two leisure centres and a school in Islington.
This pioneering energy centre is a trailblazer for decarbonising heat for potential future schemes in London and globally, improving air quality and more importantly making cities more selfsufficient in energy supply
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So how does it work?
The new energy centre uses advanced technology located at a disused Underground station that commuters have not seen for almost 100 years. The remains of the station have been transformed to house a huge underground fan which extracts warm air from the Northern line tunnels below The warm air is simply used to heat water that is then pumped to buildings in the neighbourhood through a new 1.5km network of underground pipes. (see image bottom right)
The site adds a further 550 homes and a primary school to the existing Bunhill Heat and Power district heating network, launched in Islington in 2012
The new energy centre gives the system the potential to supply up to 2,200 homes
The centre’s combined heat and power technology means it also generates cheaper, greener electricity that is fed into the London Underground network. In addition, the two-metre fan, installed in an existing six-storey London Underground mid-tunnel ventilation shaft, can also be reversed to help with cooling the Tube tunnels in the summer months.
The heating bills for council tenants connected to the network will be cut by 10 per cent compared to other communal heating systems. The nearby Primary School is the first school to be connected to the network, alongside a leisure centre.
Contribution to Carbon Net Zero
In order to achieve Londons Net Zero by 2030 target, the city will require more innovative projects like Bunhill to help deliver decarbonisation In addition, the districts heating network reuses heat that would otherwise be wasted, helping to reduce emissions by around 500 tonnes each year.
